She's Having A Baby

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All Rise...

The Charge

A comedy about the labours of love. Or… This film is zero
steps removed from a Kevin Bacon movie.

Opening Statement

She's Having a Baby is one of John Hughes lesser "adult"
pictures but retains a charm of its own. Its combination of situational and
observational comedy with offbeat visualizations inside the minds of the
characters has been copied ever since, notably on television series such as
"Ally McBeal." Kevin Bacon does a first rate job playing a
white-collar shmuck trying to make it through life and marriage. Paramount has
released this along with the much better Hughes film Planes, Trains, and
Automobiles, but with no better luck on the quality of the disc.

Facts of the Case

Kevin Bacon is Jefferson "Jake" Briggs, and is just about to marry
his high school sweetheart Kristy (Elizabeth McGovern—The House of Mirth), despite some
reservations voiced by himself and his best friend Davis (Alec Baldwin, in one
of his better roles). But the marriage goes through, and the couple deals with
the trials that face them such as college, career, and in-laws. The simple
pleasures of life and family compete with the lofty goals Jake once set for
himself, and what might have been, personified in a fantasy woman who seems to
crop up everywhere he looks. Will Jake do "the right thing,"
especially when it's time to start a family?

The Evidence

This film doesn't deal in big issues. Only the minutiae of life is given real
time, although you could say some of the small stuff is more important in the
lives of most people. Dealing with disapproving in-laws, brands of lawn mowers,
and furniture arrangement all deserve as much worry as whether Jake will finish
his masters degree or whether the couple will have a baby. This slice of life
picture is endearing in its own way, especially for people who are just starting
that journey from singledom to married life.

Most of Hughes' films offer sharp and funny dialogue, and this is no
exception. Particularly good is the scene in which Jake lies on his
résumé to get a job in advertising, and is caught red-handed. Other
scenes taken from the mind and point of view of the characters work with varying
success. When Jake finds that Kristy has stopped taking her birth control pills,
Jake sees himself on a rocket car heading for a brick wall, which worked. On the
other hand, I didn't need to see men and women doing a choreographed dance
number while pushing lawn mowers on suburban lawns. I believe these scenes are
what people didn't get at the time it was released; perhaps the film was ahead
of its time.

Regardless of the "smallness" of the film and its scope, the
performances are strong. Kevin Bacon underplays the role, but that is what was
required. I also liked the in law characters played by William Windom and
Cathryn Damon, whose banter and preconceptions made them real.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

Unfortunately the disc wasn't as good as it could have been. The transfer is
anamorphic at least, but the image quality is soft and there is often a hazy
look to the picture. The image also suffered from noise and other artifact
problems. It's still watchable, and preferable to the old VHS, but not nearly
what I've come to expect from Paramount. The sound is a typical comedy track;
mainly dialogue relegated to the center channel with a few directional effects
and the musical score everywhere else. The sound is clear enough, though there
was a bit of distortion noticeable at times. This Dolby Digital 5.1 track is the
only English track on the disc, despite the label saying there is a separate
Dolby Surround.

To make matters worse, only a trailer is offered for extras. Missing is
anything substantial like a Hughes commentary, which would have been
welcome.

Though overall I like the film, I am rather ambivalent about it. It's a
decent film, but hardly a great one. I classify it more as a diversion for a
couple hours rather than something memorable.

Closing Statement

This is a marginal disc and only a decent film. Give it a rental along with
other Hughes favorites like Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, but save
your money for something better.

The Verdict

John Hughes and the cast of She's Having a Baby are acquitted for a
good if only decent effort. Paramount is found guilty of inadequate work, and is
put on probation until much better work has been shown.